The role of representational and non-representational processes in psychoanalytic therapy
(2025) Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy — (2025)
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- Gaining insight is often considered to be the specific mechanism that leads to change in psychoanalytic therapy. By returning to Freud’s seminal paper on remembering, repeating, and working through and his neurological model of the mind, we develop the role of representational and non-representational processes in psychoanalytic therapy. Freud argued that remembering and repeating are intertwined processes, driven by a common impetus but operating according to different principles. Despite the dominance of repetition, Freud acknowledges the enduring struggle between remembering and repeating, underscoring the complexity of psychoanalytic practice. Effective insight transcends cognitive understanding, encompassing representational and non-representational processes within the therapeutic relationship. The therapist’s presence catalyzes the emergence of past experiences into present awareness, facilitating transformative insight acquisition. Balancing primary associative processes with secondary rational processes is essential, requiring an approach that embraces both nonsensical and rational aspects of the patient’s discourse. Effective insight emerges from a dialogue intertwining both processes, leading to a reevaluation of psychopathology as a formidable adversary deserving of curiosity and confrontation. Freud’s insights continue to inform contemporary psychotherapeutic practice, highlighting the enduring relevance of psychoanalysis.
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Willemsen, J. (2025). The role of representational and non-representational processes in psychoanalytic therapy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. Published. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-024-09654-6 (Original work published 2025)